Sex and Gender News 9.18

•  Lil Nas X puts on a groundbreaking performance at the 2021 VMAs (CNN)
• Missouri teacher resigns after he was threatened with termination for displaying a pride flag in his classroom (Yahoo! News)
• Colorado's Gov. Polis has first same-sex marriage of sitting governor (USA Today)
  
• Taliban denies reports girls are being kept from secondary school (CNN)
• Did Facebook bury a 2020 report that found that Instagram "exacerbates negative body image, low self-esteem, anxiety, depression and, in extreme cases, suicidal thoughts"? (New York Post)
  

Reflection 2: Isn't it Bromantic?—Male Intimacy in the Era of Bromances

One interesting phenomenon this century has been the rise of so-called "bromances"—intimate, but non-sexual, relationships between men. Affectionate male bonding has a centuries-long tradition around the world, yet American society has generally drawn rigid lines between two male friends—or at least, that's what we've been lead to believe. Bromances are said to break down many of the traditional gender barriers, allowing a man to be more expressive of both his own feelings and his feelings toward his friend. Today, male celebrities, athletes, even politicians, are often lauded for their strong male friendships. Just why American male friendships are seemingly more open these days is up to debate. Some argue these bonds have been shaped by everything from feminist mothers raising more emotionally-open sons to a greater acceptance of LGBTQ people to younger generations of men simply breaking from old societal taboos. 

If you are a man, have you experienced a bromance? Do they feel any different than any other male friendship? What sets them apart? And if you are a female, what do theses relationships look like from the outside looking in? Has a bromance ever made you feel excluded, even jealous?

Include at least two of the following pieces in your discussion:

• "The Case for Hugging Your Bros" (GQ)
• "Why I Love Guys Who Hug Other Guys" (New York Magazine)
• "'Bromances' are Good for Men's Health Says Science, so Maybe it's Time We Stop Being Weird about Men Having Close Friendships" (Bustle)
• "Ninety-three Percent of Straight Men in this Study Said They’ve Cuddled with Another Guy" (HuffPost)
• "Bromance over Romance, Say Men in New Study" (Psychology Today)

Required:

• Approximately 2 pages
• MLA Style, including parenthetical citation and works cited
  

Due: Thu 9.23-Tue 9.28 (via Canvas)

Multimedia Presentations: Schedule

Sec. 27:

Week 7: Tue 9.28/Thu 9.30

1. Rachel V - Staying Pure: Inside the Chastity Movement

Week 9: Tue 10.12/Thu 10.14

1. Andrew R - But Don’t Call It ”Rape”: Uncovering Male Sexual Abuse
2. Dong T/Noah N - Swimsuits in America: A History
   

Week 10: Tue 10.19/Thu 10.21

1. Jimmy N/Evan T - Meet the 21st Century Dad
2. Sohini B - Loving in America: Love vs. The State of Virginia
3. Kelvin C/Daisy B - Why We Cheat: The Psychology of Infidelity

Week 11: Tue 10.26/Thu 10.28

1. Bryan B - Understanding Men and Depression
2. Anna K - The Daughters of Marie: Four Groundbreaking Female Scientists We Should Know
3. Raul T - Swipe Right: A Brief History of Dating Apps

Week 12: Tue 11.2/Thu 11.4

1. Ricardo S - Underwear in America: An Evolution
2. Frida S - The Woman-Haters: MIGTOWS, Incels, and The Red Pill
3. Cindy L - How to be a Feminist Man

Week 13: Tue 11.9

1. Isabella D - Barbie: An Historical Overview
2. Krishma P - Women in Refrigerators: On Misogyny in Comics

Week 14: Tue 11.16/Thu 11.18

1. Arianna B - Why Twilight Mattered
2. Alec C/Martin H - Gamergate: What Happened
3. Arya K - Hair and the American Man: 1900s to Present

Week 15: Tue 11.23

1. Angelo M - How To Contract an STD!

 

Sec. 9:

Week 7: Tue 9.28/Thu 9.30

1. Lucas S/Quang H - How to Contract an STD!

Week 9: Tue 10.12/Thu 10.14

1. Varun N/JC Dizon - Why Twilight Mattered 
2. Rachel H - #metoo Explained
   

Week 10: Tue 10.19/Thu 10.21 

1. Brandon R - Cybersex: When Technology and Sex Fuse
2. Samuel T - Look Good Now!: Inside the Multi-Billion Dollar Weight Loss Industry
   

Week 11: Tue 10.26/Thu 10.28

1. Gustavo O - Dirty Thoughts: Porn's Effects on the Brain
2. Arjun B/Kalino R - The Daughters of Marie: Four Groundbreaking Female Scientists We Should Know
3. Jose A - Women in Refrigerators: On Misogyny in Comics
   

Week 12: Tue 11.2/Thu 11.4

1. Radda T - A Feminist View of the Salem Witch Trials
2. Maria M - Going steady, Dating in the 1950’s
3. Tammy S - Barbie: An Historical Overview
   

Week 13: Tue 11.9

1. Isaiah R - #GamerGate: What Happened
2. Iqra H/Benjamin F - Yes Means Yes, No Means No: Understanding Consent Today

Week 14: Tue 11.16/Thu 11.18

1. Paula D - How the Stonewall Riots Sparked a Revolution
2. Huy T - Swimsuits in America: A history
   

Week 15: Tue 11.23

1. Claire L - Sexual Assault on Campuses: What Everyone Should know.
   

Week 16: Tue 11.30/Thu 12.2

1. Alexis Z - Understanding Men and Depression

Week 5: Tue 9.14/Thu 9.16

"She might've considered kissing him, even after the horrible first date, but he just didn't seem to know what to do. However, Jeremy does have one outstanding quality. He likes her. And this quality in a person makes them infinitely interesting to the person being liked."

                                                                                                                              —Steve Martin, Shopgirl

Week 5: Tue 9.14/Thu 9.16
Read: GD—Lit Pack 2 (“What We Talk about When We Talk about Love” by Raymond Carver, “This Blessed House” by Jhumpa Lahiri, “When You Grow Into Yourself” by Ross Raisin, ‘Winter Break’ by Hilary Mantel)
Class: Reading discussion; Multimedia presentations
Due: SHORT ANSWER RESPONSES

Upcoming:

Week 6: Tue 9.21/Thu 9.23
Class: Reading discussion; Multimedia presentations
Due: REFLECTION 2